After Tomorrow
by dark wings alias raat ke rani
Summary: 5th piece, ken's out of jail and he became the red link of the ficcie.
1. 1st Piece: Cat in the Cradle 1

I'm baaaaack!!! First of all I'd have to state that Weiß Kreuz belongs to me..... NOT! I'm only having fun with them when I need to break away from my daily life.

I'd also like to explain that this fic will contain several pieces. Each piece deals with some certain characters from the story. Up until now, I haven't had the thought of writing about Schwarz member. I use 3rd POV, but it doesn't mean that it can go freely about.... Each story will put the focus on one person, though it might be other people who got more space.

Now on to the fic......!!

Oh, by the way, the 1st Piece : [Aya] I Will Go With You All will be continued right after this chapter, because it still needs some adjustment. 

Now on to the fic.... for real!!!!

**2nd Piece : [Youji] Cat in the Cradle (Part 1?)  
**  
"Aya-kun, Youji-kun will make it, won't he?" an ash blond haired man stood with trembling hands. They were in some hospital room. The room was bright white and smelled like germicide. Sterile white, spotless.

Ken was lying in bed. The cut he received from Aya's katana didn't hurt as before. He leaned forward a bit and winced, "Don't worry, he will be OK." He rolled his eyes towards Aya. The man was sitting silently at the corner. "You're the only one who had seen him. How is he?"

Seeing that the red haired man didn't give any answer, Omi dashed forward to the man. "Aya-kun, he is going to be alright, isn't he?" His voice trembled. His round eyes were glazed and soon the pearly drops started to flow down his cheek.

"Hoy, I thought you said you wanted to kill the Omi Tsukiyono inside you," Ken grinned towards him. 

"Aa… I'm sorry," he wiped his eyes and tried to lessen his sobs and make his breath more even. "But Youji-kun is…."

A knock on the door snapped the three of them. Omi hurried wiping his tears. His face was finally dried when the door opened, but there were still traces of sobs on his now stern face. "Excuse me, Mamoru-sama," Rex entered, "The doctor wishes to talk to you about Kudou."

Mamoru nodded. He turned and walked out the room. 

"Wait!" Aya stood, stopping Mamoru and Rex to walk any further. "I also want to know about him. I believe Ken too." He rolled his eyes towards the ex-goal keeper and the brown haired man nodded in agreement.

The ash-blond considered it for a couple of moments before he nodded and ordered to Rex, "Tell the doctor to come to the room. After all Weiß deserves to know more about Youji rather than Takatori Mamoru."

"Understood." Rex walked out the door alone. The new Persia walked towards the window and leaned to it. With the light turned off, Ken was only able to see the silhouette of the youngest ex-Weiß member.

It didn't take long until a doctor came into the room. The old man explained about the severe injuries Youji had got from the school blast, and how there was something wrong with his brain that he might never wake up. Or even if he regained his consciousness, he might be having impairment. 

"Is that all you would like to report?" Mamoru asked from the window.

"Yes, Sir."

"Omi…."

"Very well, then," He turned around to look outside, "Give him the best facilities in this hospital. Any other order will be given if needed." He drew out a sigh, "You are dismissed, Dr. Sakano."

The doctor bowed a little before he went out.  
  


  
He moaned as he came into consciousness. The faint pain he felt at first became worsened as he stirred. He tried to get up and felt his head hurt more. "Where is this?" he asked, more to himself rather than to the nurse who was signaling the doctor to come.

"You are at the hospital. You were sent here a month ago," a woman voice heard from his side. "Um, do you remember your name?"

"My name…?" Youji tried to remember but he failed to recall any name, in fact he remembered nothing about him, as if his life was painted over with blankness. It was all white in his head. No name. No background. No memories. Nothing. "I… can't remember."

The nurse held out his hand and touched his arm. "Don't try too hard. Give it some time; you will regain your memory back." 

Youji held up his head and looked into the nurse's face. Her smile somehow gave him a bit of peacefulness. He traced down her look and noticed a name, Itou Asuka. The name… it made him feel something leapt inside. The name… Asuka… he felt like he missed the name. 

  
  
"Takatori-sama, the patient has regained his consciousness."

"Is that so? Is there any impairment or anything wrong with him?" For a couple of seconds there were worries in his voice.

"He is physically alright. But…."

"But?"

"He remembers nothing. Apparently his head injury gave him amnesia."

"I understand."

"Is there anything else we must do?"

"Just take care of him."

"What if he asked about the payment?"

"Tell him that it's a doctor's job to take care of the sick."

"Understood, Takatori-sama."

"Ah, wait!"

"Yes, Takatori-sama?"

"Let me know if there's any news."

"Yes, Sir."

  


  
It didn't take too long until Youji could stroll around the hospital. The building was placed in the suburban area. It was surrounded by houses and he could watch children going to school and mothers going to the market nearby. He found them amusing, like something he just discovered, that life was so simple. 

But when he was alone, he tried to remember anything, but there was no use. He only got headache. All he knew was that he had been taken to the hospital by an unknown man and he was badly injured. The man remained a mystery. Nobody seemed to know who he was. And each time he asked about his description, they always gave different details. One nurse said that the man was tall and lean; others said he was fat and big. One doctor recalled the man to be nice and well-behaved; others said he was rude but kind. But it had been a month already; it was no surprise that nobody remembered. A hospital is more or less a public place; people always come and go.

"So you're here," said a gentle voice.

Youji looked up and saw the nurse that had taken care of him when he first woke up. She sat beside him and gave him a smile. "You would feel more confused if you try to remember," She turned his face from Youji and looked forward, "Now all you need is to look forward. Little by little, you will have to build your life. Isn't that more realistic rather than sitting here and only trying to remember your past. You are not living in the past, your life is in the future."

Youji looked at the woman in awe. She looked beautiful when she was speaking with her head held up high and certainty in her voice.

"Ah," the woman stopped suddenly, she turned back to Youji, "I'm sorry, I keep on talking without considering how you feel." 

"No, it's okay."

The woman smiled to hear the answer, "My name is Itou Asuka. Nice to meet you."

"Asuka? It's a beautiful name."

"Thank you…."

  
  
"Takatori-sama."

"Yes?"

"About the patient…."

"Is there any trouble?"

"No, Takatori-sama."

"……"

"He is already making up his mind to start a new life."

"Good to hear about it."

"Anou…."

"Is there anything you'd want to ask?"

"Would you like me to set up a job for him?"

"As you please."

"……"

"Is there anything else?"

"……"

"If you have nothing more to say, please hang up the phone."

"Takatori-sama, he asked me to marry him."

"..!!!.."

"Takatori-sama?"

"Do you want to marry him?"

"Yes. If it pleases you…."

"……. Put me aside, Itou-san. Do you wish to marry him?"

"Yes."

"I understand. From now on he is no longer my concern. You don't have to call me anymore about him. Consider it as your private job."

"Understood, Takatori-sama."

"…… Anou, Itou-san," the voice softened.

"Yes?"

"Please, take care of Youji-kun."

"Understood."

_-click-_  


**--- there might be more to write on Youji later ---**

It's a short piece indeed. With a very tight schedule as mine now.... I hardly ever had the time to write.... ^___^ But don't worry, I will try my best!!! 

Now a question to the readers: **Which of Schwarz, Weiß or Crasher member would you like read?**

**Up next!!!  
**1st Piece : [Aya] I Will Go With You All (Part 2)  
3rd Piece : [Omi/Mamoru] Through The Looking Glass (Part 1)


	2. 2nd Piece: Through the Looking Glass

**Disclaimer:** up until now Weiß Kreuz, Weiß Kreuz Glühen still don't belong to me.... ;__; ... but I can still live with my fics..... ^__^()

Jacques, here's the Mamoru piece..... I hope you like it..... Big thanks to everyone who has reviewed these pieces..... and off course, very BIG THANKS to annonymouse who did the beta..... 

Now on to the fic.....

**

3rd Piece : [Omi, Mamoru] Through the Looking Glass

**

  
He walked into his apartment and shut the door behind. The was empty and there was no sign that anyone was home. It was a spacious suite on the top storey of the building, too spacious for one person, and to add the wide feeling of the room, it was barren from furniture – save a working desk with huge computer system, two bookshelves and one king-sized bed. Only those four items, aside from kitchen and bathroom fixtures. He even kept his clothes inside his suitcase.

"Tadaima," he said slowly. Inside his mind a soft answer came, //Okaerinasai// and he gave himself a bitter smile to the ghost before him. It was only void. There was nobody there.

Slowly he unbuttoned his shirt and loosened his tie, letting them fall to the wooden floor as he strolled towards the computer. The computer was always left on; it let him easier have easier access to his personal database using his notebook when he was away. It was personal property; he didn't want to share its contents with Kritiker. Surely he didn't have to worry much about its security. It was protected by anti-hacking programs he wrote. And should they fail, the system would contact him via hand phone so he could defend the security. Bless the technology, and technology would grant you many things. And so far nobody ever broke into his system, but one particular person.

"Already lurking around the cyber world?" said a whispered voice behind him.

He turned around to face a pair of golden brown eyes, much alike his in colors, only the shape was narrower. "Naoe-san," he gave the opponent a faint smile. "Thank you for saving my life earlier this evening," he said.  
Seeing the brown haired man suddenly appear inside the closed apartment was no longer a surprise for him. He knew what the other's capability and he also know his nature. The ex-Schwarz member could come and go as he pleased, whether invited or not. No rules bound him. Not Weiß. Not Schwarz. Not Takatori. The young man was all free. And if he submitted to serving Persia lately, it was his own decision.

"It doesn't matter, Bombay," the young man sniggered. He still used Mamoru – no, Omi's codename to refer to the leader of Kritiker and Weiß. "It is my duty," he continued. The man looked down at him silently. The eyes looked at him closely, though it felt as if they were out of reach. 

"Is there anything you'd like to say, Naoe-san?" Mamoru asked. He kept his formal language to speak; he still wanted to keep the conversation as boss and employee, not between friends or enemies. Each member of Schwarz was twisted in the mind to some certain negative degree, and even if Mamoru trusted his life in Nagi's hand, he would not trust him with the whole world.

"Knight didn't seem to be pleased by you. I'm pretty sure that he would start to search where Abyssinian was. He's suspicious about something. And I think he would find something if we don't act."

"I am pretty aware about it, Naoe-san," Mamoru answered. "But you must know that I was not the mastermind of the MIA status."

"You are gaining enemies inside your bed," Nagi leaned closer, "Get rid of the Crasher team."

Mamoru turned his head and looked sideways. "Crasher belongs to my grand father, Takatori Saijou. So do Weiß and Kritiker." He sighed as he tried to ebb away the memory of him asking and begging his grandfather to let him announce the mission. Instead of giving his only grandson what he wanted, the old man sent a destructing mission to Crasher, a stop and blow team in which Aya once belonged to.

But he realized that without the Crasher's bombs, he would have to arrange perhaps another "failed" mission, because a Weiß member who betrayed the team would have to be eliminated right away. He had succeeded in letting the other three go. Aya, Youji, and Ken needed some air to breath other than countless killing missions from one man's judgment. The man was not him, Takatori Mamoru. It was his grandfather's.

"I'd say Persia is only a toy then," Nagi mused. "Too bad. I thought you were made of something stronger." The brown haired boy nodded to Mamoru, "If Saijou got killed, you would be the head of Takatori, not merely a puppet in your grandpa's hands."

Mamoru jerked up from his seat and cornered Nagi to the wall. "Don't you ever think about touching my grand father! If you hurt him, I'm gonna kill you."

"After all, he's your only relative left alive, isn't he?" Nagi continued as if he read the ash blond's mind. After all these years knowing the man in front of him, Nagi knew that there were some things that wouldn't change just by switching names. He shoved Mamoru away and tidied his shirt. "If you give me the mission, I would gladly do it." He gave the man a dry smile, "Now I leave you to work as you please."

"Thank you," came the bitter reply. Mamoru watched Nagi walk to the window. The young man never used the front door, except on special occasions. He was more or less a ghost Weiß member. Nobody knew that the telekinetic worked for him.

"By the way, Bombay," Nagi stopped as he reached the window, "What are you going to do with the Epitaph data?"

"Epitaph data? I don't remember having them." Those hazel eyes rolled sideways, an obvious sign that he wasn't telling the truth.

"The data you stole when you infected the mother computer at Koua-gakuen. Don't pretend like you know nothing."

"I… still don't know yet." Mamoru lowered his head.

Nagi turned around and stared at the man closely. "Persia-sama," he said, "If you intend to make use of the data, I will make sure that I'm the one to kill you." And with it he bowed a little. "Oyasuminasai," he said and left without even opening the window.

  
  
Mamoru relaxed his body and leaned into his office chair after the other man went away. His shirt crumpled against the dark brown leather upholsters. Being face to face with Prodigy still made him nervous, though it had been a couple of years now since their first encounter, Naoe Nagi had not changed a bit. The only thing that changed was that now he worked as his personal wrench man. 

He was sure that Nagi was threatening him about the Epitaph data. The data was one of the many reasons why Nagi joined forces with him. He wanted to destroy any Rosenkreuz and Eszet related things. These were to make sure that nobody would make use of his special ability. And by holding Epitaph's data in his hands, Mamoru might be a potential enemy to Nagi. He would surely keep an eye on him.

The ash blond pushed the mouse a bit. The blank screen flickered and gave out a dialog box for password entry. He placed one hand on the keyboard but he hesitated and turned the system off and went to bed. He slipped himself underneath the blanket even though he knew that he would have to count countless dots on his acoustic tile ceiling before he fell asleep.

  
  
Another night, another gala-dinner to attend, another speech to give. Mamoru Takatori had become one of the top-ranked politicians. It seemed like it was in the blood, his career seemed to have rocketed ever since he became a member of the party, like any Takatori family members. He was also a promising heir to the Takatori throne, with only several second cousins to compete. He was a strict person, always calm and collected. His decisions were always logical and based on deep analysis, though there seemed to be a faint trace of humanity there. And sure as anything, people shudder at his surname.

A pair of brown eyes were watching him closely as the young Takatori made his way to the podium to deliver his speech. He leaned silently on a giant metal-clad column. His skin was dark and his posture was quite tall. His brown hair fell carelessly around the oval face.

"Knight," said a light voice behind him. A boy with blond hair and big concerned eyes looked at him. "Are you still angry about Ran?" the boy asked slowly as if he was bringing up a forbidden affair.

Knight rolled his eyes to the shorter person, "Pawn, I thought you wouldn't come. You're not on duty, right?" The man didn't answer the question.

The boy nodded, "Yes. No bombs to set or to deactivate. Queen asked me if I wanted to accompany her here. She found me at the base just before I went home." 

It was a surprising answer for Knight. Queen usually asked for his company, or Rook's. She hardly took Bishop or Pawn unless it was for business. 

"Please don't be jealous," said a sexy alto voice, "I was only thinking that Pawn might be feeling lonely not being taken to this party by his older brothers." Queen was standing a few meters away from the other Crasher members. She was wearing a backless black velvet dress and her gestures would make any men drool over her. "How's the situation?" She took a sip from her champagne.

"All clear," answered Knight, "Bishop takes guard at eleven hour, Rook at three."

Queen looked at the direction the man gave him and a smile curled on her strawberry lips. "I'm glad that you keep your objectives despite of how you feel towards Mamoru-sama. Ran died in a mission. That was something we cannot evade. He knew that it was the risk of being a Weiß member."

Knight looked sideways, "I just couldn't accept that Mamoru let Ran to search for Balinese and then die there."

"Knight," Queen pointed, "Don't accuse Mamoru-sama for something he didn't intend to happen. If Ran was not sent as soon as possible, the case would have been exposed and our existence would be known. Don't say unnecessary things."

"Fine." Knight walked through the two other Crasher team.

"Knight, where are you going?" Pawn asked.

"Getting a drink." He took big steps, unwilling to continue the conversation. He knew it wasn't his right to complain. Ran would go anyway even if he did ask him to stay and fly with the chopper instead. But what Mamoru said the night before did make him angry. Everything for the sake of Takatori. What kind of answer was that? Knight knew very well that Ran despised Takatori after the incident with his family. 

Knight was still deep in thought when he bumped his shoulder against another man. He turned and bowed a little to show his apology, "I'm sorry."

"It doesn't matter," said the man. 

Knight looked up and saw him. He was young, probably around his early twenties, if not at his late teens. His eyes were beautiful golden brown but they were distant. His moves were efficient and quiet. This aura, it seemed predatory. This guy must be a killer, or at least he had seen many people die in unnatural ways.

The man bowed a bit and left. 

Knight felt like he had seen the man somewhere. He decided to watch the man. He was suspicious. Beside he didn't remember that face on the guest list, and he was definitely not a waiter or the hotel employee. He wasn't wearing uniform. 

The man was standing at the left side of the podium, leaning to the wall as Knight decided to walk closer to him. He stopped by him and smiled. "I've never seen you before," he said. //Could he be someone's wrench man?//

"Have you not?" came a polite answer. 

"Honjou Yuushi," Knight pulled out hand.

"Naoe Nagi. How do you do?"

"How do you do." Knight leaned beside the other man. "Are you from Jigen or…?"

"Me? I'm just a hired person," Nagi answered without making eye contact.

"I see." Knight was a bit pissed to see that attitude. That man might be polite, but he seemed to distance himself. Just then Knight noticed that the other was fixing his sight on someone. He traced the direction just as he realized something. There was a red dot flickering on someone in the front row. And then he heard Mamoru yelled towards the target, "Get down!" and flung sideways as he pulled his Browning Baby and shot at someone in the balcony. The unknown sniper changed target and shot at Mamoru. The ash blond hurried to crawl behind the podium, but he was hit.

"Shit!" Knight pulled out his gun as he ran towards the man he supposed to protect. 

There was lots of screaming and people started to scatter around. He saw from the corner of his eyes that Rook was running towards the unknown man and pursue him. "Are you alright, Mamoru-sama?" he asked. And to his surprise, the stranger called Naoe Nagi was already kneeling beside his superior.

"I'm alright," Mamoru winced as he answered. His hand was holding his side. It was bleeding severely. He faced sideways towards Nagi, "I didn't know you're coming. I thought you despised being around so many people." He smiled as he closed his eyes, "I feel so tired…."

"Mamoru-sama!" Knight called. He hated it when a mission fails, even if it was to protect someone he despised.

"He's just fainted," Nagi said. "Stay by his side." 

"Hey wait!" But the man was already gone.

//Who is that man?//

  
  
Knight sat silently at the hospital waiting room. Queen, Pawn, and Bishop were also there. Mamoru was still in the surgery room to get the bullet out of his body. It happened to be the kind of bullet that would blow as it hit the target, and each piece of it had to be taken out carefully.

They were still waiting in the same position when Rook came to report. "I found the man already dead," he said, "His body was somewhat twisted. I don't know who did it. It couldn't be human."

"It must be him…" Knight murmured.

"Who is it, Knight?" Rook asked.

"That person. Naoe Nagi. He was around Mamoru-sama's age. Brown haired, brown hazel distant eyes. He was with me when Mamoru-sama was shot."

"Naoe… Nagi?" Queen asked.

"That's how he introduced to me. Do you know him?"

Queen shook her head, "Naoe Nagi is… Naoe Nagi was Takatori Reiji's bodyguard. He was from Eszet, Schwarz."

"Schwarz?" Knight, Pawn, Rook, and Bishop looked at Queen in surprise. 

  
  
Nagi entered the room silently. The light was off. The only source of light was the faint glow from the hospital corridor. He noticed a figure sleeping on the couch. It was the man he had happened to meet just before the incident occurred. He ignored the sleeping figure and headed to the hospital bed. Mamoru was there with his eyes closed.

"The person has been taken care off," he whispered silently to the silent figure before him. "I'm sorry I let you get shot. But I think it could make you to learn a lesson not to fool around with me."

Mamoru stirred. He slowly opened his eyes, "…. Nagi?"

Nagi nodded. "Yes."

"What are you doing here?"

"Making report? I know you're about to wake. Shall I call on the nurse?"

"Ah, no…." the ash blond smiled weakly and asked, "Are you OK?"

Nagi smiled and for a couple of moments there were flickers in his eyes and it seemed to be closer. "You haven't changed a bit, even if you have changed your name," Nagi said. He calmly took a bottle of water from the side bed and opened it. He took out one drinking straw and offered the water to Mamoru.

"Thank you." Mamoru took a sip and let Nagi took the bottle away. He knew that water was only meant to dampen his throat a bit. "You haven't changed either." He grinned weakly, "You only changed the bullet's aim…. Are you threatening me…? Prodigy?"

"Yes, in order to make sure that you erase the Epitaph data."

//But if I hadn't changed the aim, you would have died by now.//

Mamoru closed his eyes. "Do as you please."

"Get your hands of him!" 

Nagi turned around. Knight was pointing his gun to him. 

"Don't worry… Knight…. He's with me," Mamoru murmured, "You could just leave us alone…. He will do no harm to me."

"Aa?" Knight startled. He lowered his gun. "But…" he was about to protest but he then decided to withdraw.

"Hold there, Honjou-san," Nagi called, "You don't have to leave. I'm about to go anyway." He nodded to Mamoru. "Oyasumi, Omi-kun," he said and gained a faint smile as a reply. He then walked to the front door, but he stopped by Knight. "Honjou-san, please take care of Mamoru." And then Nagi walked out the door.

**-- to be continued to 3rd Piece Part 2 --**

**Author's blabbers:** this piece was supposed to be one piece only... but unfortunately I failed to write a nice short fic.... By the way, I need to ask you guys ... which pairings would you like to see most ... Omi x Nagi, Mamoru x Nagi, Knight x Mamoru, or Knight x Omi ... I can't decide on my own ^___^

Now on to the cute little button down here..... pretty please.....?


	3. 4th Piece: Following Your Foot Steps

**Disclaimer: **Weiß Kreuz and Weiß Kreuz Glühen belongs to me not... they belong to their respective owners and what I'm doing here is simply to have some fun and escapism of life.... ^___^

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this fic.... may you live long and prosper!!! 

**4th Piece: [Ken] Following Your Footsteps   
**  
_Living in this confinement is supposed to give me time to think of what I'm gonna do later. As I'm not sure of my own footsteps, I always follow someone else. But I cannot follow Youji, he is still lying in some hospital bed, probably will never be awake. I cannot follow Omi because his footsteps lead to a place I dread to follow. I'm tired of seeing my hands covered with blood though the stains give me a feeling of ecstasy. _

_No. I don't want to… I'm too scared to follow that path. _

_To follow Aya will be the only choice available, but I am not ready to leave everything behind to a country I never know. And he is still thinking about his justice. He will still be the Robin Hood assassin loitering the night for some bad guys. No, I'm not ready to leave my sins behind and start all over again just to fall into the same old steps. No, Aya, I am not yet sure. I am not as sure as you…._

_Even to think about being an assassin once again gives me shivers. I chose exile from the world to think about my doings. Omi offered me to use one of his villas in the rural, but I cannot live in all luxuries when I myself think I'm worth for punishment only. He offered me to stay in penitentiary, in the regional jail._

_So here I am, sitting in this cell, trying to think about my next moves. Omi said he would help me to get away from his family. He said that I can start anew as anything as long as it's a legal job. But what skills do I have? I am not Youji, I am not Aya. I am not you, Omi, blessed with many talents. I can only kill. I even failed at tending flowers or arranging them. Aya was always best in flower arranging because he took an ikebana class a long, long time ago._

_My only talent is to play football. But I know I have no way to play again in Japan. My career as a football player has died years ago when I let myself be led to a trap by my own best friend. My life is pathetic, isn't it? I still regard him even now as my best friend, even when I saw with my own eyes his wicked tendencies. I regard him as my best friend still, because that is the only thing that can purify the sin of killing him. At least somewhere the guardian angel I have adds a little good deed to repent my mistake.  
Aya, do you really think I should follow your footsteps?_

  
  
The bell rang to signal meal time. It was exactly midday as the cell doors slid open automatically to let the prisoners walk to the dining room. Ken followed the line. Somehow he ripped apart his own silence and pushed out the care-free spirit he always held in front of others. 

"Good day, folks!" he greeted with a big smile plastered on his face as he stood in line to get his food. "What do we have today? Ah yes, rice, chicken, and some stewed vegetables again. Don't you think the cook in the kitchen a very generous man? He seems to know my favorite dishes that he serves them two days in a row." He continued to blabber, ignoring the pissed glares from his fellow convicts. 

"Ah look how we are blessed with such good weather today," he nudged the man in front of him and pointed out to the field. "Maybe we can all go out for a small picnic outside and build ourselves some mutual relationship. What do you say, hmm? Hmm? That is, of course, only if the guards lets us have our lunch outside." He broke into a laugh.

The man grudged though not saying anything. A mouthy man such as this Hidaka Ken – as how his name was written on his blue shirt – was the last thing he needed to fill the day. But he preferred to keep quiet and ignored the man.

"Hey," Ken exclaimed, "I'm talking to you. Why don't we have a picnic together, huh?"

"Shut up, you weirdo!" the fat kitchen employee in charge of handing out food shouted at him. "Just have your portion and eat!"

"What are you saying?" Ken twitched hearing the way the man talk to him. "Are you calling me weirdo?"

The big man grinned. This guy was obviously looking for trouble. "Yes, I am calling you weirdo, Mister." He pushed Ken's tray towards the brunette. "Here, take it away before I decide not to feed you."

"I don't like being called weirdo."

"Fine," the fat man pulled back the tray. "I don't like feeding you either." He threw its contents into the trash."

"Hey, that's not fair!" Ken moved forward to grab the man's sleeve but other prisoners stopped him.

"Don't go looking for trouble, little fella!" said a man with long curly hair. He held Ken's arm.

"He's the one looking for trouble!" Ken shouted.

"That's because you're too noisy, it's giving us headache!" another man pulled Ken down with a blow.

Ken stood. "So you wanna play harsh this time, do you?" He gave a jab on the man's left cheek. It was an invitation to fight back and the man answered it with a kick on Ken's belly. The fight soon expanded into a bigger chaos. It took ten guards and five other prisoners to stop him from tearing the whole dining room down.

  
  
_You see, I'm such a loser; being too easily triggered to my nerve. Now I'm back again in my little cell as my punishment without food to silence my gurgling stomach. How silly! How stupid! How could I let the anger inside me explode? Simply because of being called a weirdo._

_Now Aya, now you know why I cannot come with you. I am not all that checked and controlled as you. I don't even know why I take pleasure in fighting. No, really, I don't like fighting. But I cannot stop my body from moving. I cannot stop myself from hurting, killing. I… I like to see blood on my hands…._

_No…! No…! That's not true…. That's not true…! _

_It must be a curse to join Weiß the first time. But did I have the choice then? Did you Aya? Youji? Omi? If I could just turn back time… if I could just wash my hands from all this sorrow…. _

_Youji, how are you today? Are you still inside your dream? I hope what you see in your head is a wonderful dream full of wonderful things. I hope inside your mind, you can see your lover again. What was her name…? A… Asuka, yes Asuka. I hope you can see her again. Is it bad as a friend to wish that you never wake up from your dream? If you think you can get happiness by forgetting everything like what you said when you confronted Aya, can I hope that you loose your memories? Does it make me a bad man to wish you such things?_

_Omi, how are you today? I hear about you in the news everyday. Are you happy with it, my little brother? I look at you in awe that the little boy I knew has grown so much to an adult. I still wonder how you can be so bold to choose your own future, while I am still left behind with no answer. But Omi, are you really happy with your decision? The lights in your eyes seem to die away each time I turn my eyes to the TV. _

_Now Omi, do you think of us as your burden? Are you angry that I am still here not knowing what to choose? Tell me, Omi, if I cannot stop killing, will you be angry with me? Will you think me ungrateful because I cannot turn myself from the past? In any way, that's the only way I know to live. That's the only thing left._

_Omi, what if I cannot face my destiny? Will you accept me back to Weiß if anything should fail? Omi, answer me…. Why are you so quiet? Why do you move away from us? Are we all that bad? Am I that bad? Omi… why did you choose to become the Takatori Mamoru you despised?_

_And Aya… Aya…._

- to be continued -

OK, this chap took place before Tomorrow but I couldn't stop myself from writing it.... ^____^

.... I have to make a little announcement.... I don't hate Ken... and I still think he deserves several chapies on his own..... I may have said that he's the least favorite but that really doesn't mean that I hate him..... Now that I'm getting into his feelings (after watching Tomorrow for several times and think about it), I'm gonna write several more on Ken..... I'm thinking to let him meet Aya one more time..... What do you think? ^___^


	4. 3rd Piece: Through the Looking Glas

I'm back!!! And hereby I have to say that Weiß Kreuz, Weiß Kreuz Glühen and Weiß Side B belongs to me not. I'm not doing this for money, so please don't sue me. I have no money, even to buy a USB drive to work my final assignment.... ;_;

Thanks to Kearoru, Sunao, and Kasra for the suggestions.... 

**3rd Piece : [Mamoru/Omi, Nagi] Through the Looking Glass Part 2**

  
Nagi stepped into the room quietly and headed straight to the computer desk. He sat on the chocolate colored chair and started to work. He pulled out his notebook and connected it to the tower and began to hack into the system. Omi had given him the permission to get into his computer, but it didn't mean without any effort. The young hacker would not simply submit his passwords and security systems. Nagi would have to crack them up by himself.

It took him about thirty minutes to open the system and to get into the file he wanted to erase. Off course it would take him longer if that Persia was not lying weakly in hospital. Nagi admitted that Omi had improved a lot since their first meeting on the net. His system was secured and it was not an easy one to break. Perhaps the Takatori heir should think about selling security for some big companies. But off course Omi didn't have to do it, he was an heir to one of the top rank families in Japanese politics. And he was already stepping his steps inside the scheme.

The Epitaph file was put inside a hidden folder, compressed into about seventy percent of its actual size. Omi's computer might look like an ordinary enhanced computer, but it was more complicated if one should look inside the casing. The file was still very big, containing countless data from each of Eszet's researches. Nagi's file and also those of the rest of Schwarz could be found among the countless binary codes inside it. And in order to save his friends' shoes, Nagi needed to delete them all. 

The hazel eyes studied the file for a couple of moments. There was a feeling of curiosity creeping from under his mind. He was eager to know what was actually inside the big three pillared computer that was once installed at Koua. He tried to fight the curiosity but it failed him. He decided to uncompress the file and study its contents.  
He knew he had to be very careful. Epitaph did not only contain data, it was also a program. A program to control the mind, that is. But Nagi did not have to fear that. He could not be programmed; at least every attempt Eszet did to play with his mind has failed. His power exceeded beyond the organization's knowledge and they would never know his limits. He only needed to make sure that the program would not take over Omi's system. That would surely be tasteless. But all in all, Omi's simple virus could destroy the whole computer. The more complicated the thing – though being more modern and said to be secure – the easier to break. 

There were lots of combat data in every sort of ways. He found complete data about all members of Weiß, Crashers, and Schwarz. He knew though, that the Schwarz data was not yet up to date. It was the data from the time they were in Rosenkreuz. It didn't have any records that Nagi had succeeded to resurrect a dead person. Or that he could manipulate the nature to his fortune. There wasn't any data that mention about Schwarz ability to talk to each other within mind, although they weren't all telepathist.

The interesting thing was that he found about a list of persons under the name of Kryptonbrand. It surprised him that the group somehow connected with Takatori Shuichi. A woman called Mihirogi, who acted out as the group's go-between, was once the man's secretary. It must be a very long time ago when she left. Nagi never heard about her mentioned by Reiji.

The group worked in England, which was a good thing, so he didn't have to think about having to face two kinds of Weiß. The bad thing was that Crawford and Schuldig might be somewhere in Europe. The two decided to leave Japan after the Koua incident, leaving this country behind and start something together. Nagi wondered what the two were doing, some part of him regretted that he turned down their offer.

Perhaps he must warn Schuldig and Crawford. A little effort for old friends would not be such a burden for him. Perhaps he should not. Nagi knew well that the two older Schwarz would not be happy to see that someone was meddling in their lives. Besides, he remembered that Schuldig was definitely not happy when he told the German he would not follow the two anymore; especially due to the fact that now he worked for Tsukiyono Omi alias Takatori Mamoru, an ex Weiß member. 

Nagi decided to keep the file for his own good. Just to play things safe. In case someday he had to face those people, he would be ready to attack, knowing about the enemy's data. The other files would go straight out of the computer, without bothering to be compiled at the recycle bin. He selected the folder and pressed shift+del.   
He knew well that Omi might have memorized most of the important files. Persia's brain was like a piece of dried sponge, it would absorb whatever information he could gather. It was good for Omi that he did not have supernatural ability. Supernatural abilities took a lot of space in the head and it was actually not too good for the brain cells. Brain cells do not regenerate that fast and if one used his ability too much he would have to suffer some consequences. The lightest consequence was a constant headache, and then nosebleeds or fainting spells, and then there was some kind of crash in the brain – just like a computer when it was used more than its capacity and of course Nagi would not forget the worst, death. 

Seeing somebody die merely because they were using too much of their special ability was no longer something new. Toudo was the last one he saw, though. It was some kind of evidence that always reminded him that special power was not meant for fun. It could also serve as a sadistic self-executioner.

Nagi erased his traces, and disconnected his computer. He drew out a sigh and looked around the room. The apartment was barren. It was much like his own. With a personality like Omi's, the apartment should have been a little bit cheerful, with a kettle on the stove, comfortable sofas, fluffy carpet, and flower arrangement – the man had loved flowers then. But it wasn't Omi, it was Takatori Mamoru who lived here, and Takatori Mamoru was a cold person. No, Takatori Mamoru was just Omi's mask to face his destiny. The real personality still lived behind the face. He wouldn't want to serve the deceitful personality Omi tried to show the world. If he just didn't need to be that cold….

  
  
Nagi opened his eyes. He must have fallen asleep. His head rested on the keyboard which was the reason why his neck felt stiff. He had searched for the interesting founding he read in the Koua data – The Kryptonbrand. There was not much to find. The group was also working in the shades of secrecy, not wanting their existence to be known to the world. Assassins by any other name would still be outlaws.

One thing that he could add to his knowledge from his search was that Mihirogi left his former employer because several disagreements about the way they saw justice. The little detail were definitely not known but Nagi could think several alternative thoughts. He knew the way Takatori worked. All for the sake of the Takatori family. The woman must have had done with that.

Nagi found the facts rather amusing. It seemed that all these kill-for-justice groups were related to one another. It wouldn't surprise him if one day he found that Richard Krypton and Takatori Saijou were preschool mates. Nagi smirked at his remark.

The team consisted of three people, two European and one American. The American was simply called "Free", no real names found. The data showed that he had an interesting weapon, a mere set of tarot cards and a strange looking crescent shaped blade. His look somewhat made Nagi shivered. All the strange tattoo on his face and the white silvery hair remained him of Farfarello. 

The first European was a tall good looking man named "Chloe". His real name was Edward R. Kreuznic, a Rumanian raised in Germany, probably the first to join the team. The second European was named Michel E. Conrad. Nagi was not sure if the person was a boy or a girl. The stature was somewhat convincing for both gender, unlike the first two who could easily be identified as males. Michel was from Ireland and the weapon reminded him of Schön's.

Nagi sighed and looked at his flickering monitor. The clock now showed 10:38. The sun was already high but the room remained dark because the heavy curtains hanging at the window were all closed. He didn't turn the lights on either. Slowly he emerged from his seat and headed for the kitchen. He busied himself with a cup of coffee and some toast. He had to make some reports to Persia soon.

  
  
The hands on his wristwatch showed 13.15 when he reached the hospital. The sun was shining at its highest point. Nagi put on his sunglasses before getting out of the car. He was a night person and he despised the sun. Anyhow, the big yellow circle was glaring at him at that moment.

As he reached the hospital door he noticed a very familiar man going out. The hair was ash-blond and his stature was somewhat small. "Isn't that…!" he exclaimed a suppressed tone.

"Aren't you suppose to stay longer?" he asked as he had the man level with him.

"I can't just lie there all the time," the other answer sternly, "Somebody has to fill Persia's chair, and it has to be me."

Nagi eyed the man closely and realized that whatever he said would not change his mind. Those wide eyes had already been filled with determination. He finally nodded, "Whatever's to your liking, Persia-sama." He then offered to drive the man to wherever he was heading.

"Fine then, you can take me to the office."

  
  
Driving was slow in the middle of the heavy traffic jam. Mamoru said no words at all. He seemed to be lost in his own thought. The silence eerily made Nagi feel uncomfortable. He knew that the man beside him was not a person with many words anymore but to remember that he was once full of life, it somehow made the brown haired man uneasy. Finally he decided to break the silence.

"I have erased the Epitaph data from your computer. You have no other copies with you, haven't you?" Nagi asked in accusing voice he didn't intend.

"No. I don't think I need one."

Nagi smirked, "Then you must have memorized the ones you think you'd need."

Mamoru simply nodded. He set his sight away to the buildings that towered on either sides of the street. The gapping distance in his eyes seemed even further and further. It was almost empty of life. Nagi felt that it somehow pained him to see those eyes wither away. Soon Omi would be like him, cold, far, and detached from others. 

He knew he could do nothing but he didn't have the heart to let those eyes fail. Those eyes that once had reached him in Germany. The strange closeness that made him followed the man. 

"You really don't have to do this." Nagi was surprised to hear his own voice saying. It somehow came out flat from his mouth. He noticed that he was not yet capable to show his feelings.

"Don't have to do what, Naoe-san?" Mamoru's answer came in a hushed, tired voice. 

Nagi was about to explode about Omi being too kind and nice to stay behind as Persia while the other members of Weiß enjoyed their freedom at who knows where. He was going to ask why none of them showed any proper gratitude for such a big sacrifice when he realized that he was in no place to say so. Instead he said, "Going to work this soon? You'd better let your wounds heal first. Another day off will give you more benefit."

"Somebody has to fill Persia's seat, and it has to be me," Omi answered, "I cannot let anyone else take my place. Ken is still in jail and Youji still needs my help. I cannot let them down." He sighed, "I wonder where Aya be right now. Is he happy in America?"

The question was rhetorical but Nagi answered with an offer, "I can search for him if you want to."

Omi shook his head for answer. "No, it will be better if none of us look for his whereabouts. Even our attempt to find him can endanger his being. Besides," he continued, "If he finds trouble he can't cope up with someday, I'm sure he knows his way home." 

Don't be so naïve, Nagi spat in his mind but his mouth was locked. To say such harsh words would only pierce him more. It was better to let him be contented with what he tried to give to his friends. Nagi decided to change topics.

"I read in the data about an assassin team called Kryptonbrand in England. Are you aware of their existence?"

"Yes."

"Wasn't one of them you father's ex-secretary?"

"Mihirogi-san. Yes. She left because of the Takatori policy, I suppose. My grandfather said nothing about her when I asked him."

"Don't you think it is better to 'transfer' Aya under their wings? The man would need some firm base for his action. I can give them some cracks about Aya in Weiß. After all he was considered Missing in Action." 

Omi turned his face towards Nagi and looked at him deeply. "No, you can't do that. Just let Aya do what he wanted to do alone. Letting him fall into that kind of team would feel like feeding him into the lions once again." His eyes seemed like they were about to break into tears but they didn't. "Don't you understand what I'm doing, Nagi-kun? They need to break free from it all."

"Fine then," Nagi said, "I won't do anything about Aya."

"Thank you." Mamoru turned his face away from Nagi and went back to his quietness. He closed his eyes and leaned back.

"Mr. Takatori, would you me to wake you up when we reach the office?" 

Omi gave a smile. He understood Nagi's effort to entertain him with the sentence. It was a play of an ironic dialog between Nagi's former leader and his legal father. "Yes, please," he said and he let himself sleep.

Nagi stole a glance towards the sleeping form. He looked so serene with both eyes closing, almost angelic. The young assassin smiled to himself, a smile he could only produce when he was by that man, when he was not looking. He reached out his hand to stroke the ash blond strands but he hesitated. Somehow touching him would not do anyone good. Just let him be, he said to himself.

He looked back to the traffic and continued to move slowly among the current of cars. "But if you let me, I would do anything to keep Tsukiyono Omi alive," he whispered, "Even to live up to his name…. Though I know I may not be worthy for it."  


-to be continued -  


OK, I only give slight hints of Mamoru/OmixNagi here... And don't you think the ending rather fluffy? Aaa, fluffy Nagi is really not like it... but it's already written and I like the way it is...... I'm still thinking about KnightxMamoru/Omi though. I fell in love with Knight the first time I saw him... and I thought he's a very potential pairing to Omi and/or Mamoru.... Man, I've already got the plot in my ehad for a darn long time but I haven't got the way to really writing it down.... ^____^()

Note to Moussy: the line you couldn't get was meant that because Aya has already sentenced dead, Nagi could give the Kryptonbrand some hints about him, considering that if under some circumstances Aya needed a team to work with; Nagi could link the two and let the assassin team to know about Aya's whereabouts….. Or something like that... but it's not going to happen because Omi declined.

Care to lift up my spirit a bit? A little review and suggestion is very much welcome. 


	5. 5th Piece: Many Meetings 1

Weiß Kreuz belongs not to me and will never belong to me.... Maybe when I someday win a lottery of millions of dollars someday, I will buy them as my own property.... mwahahaha!!! *cough* but I have no money in my pocket even to import some CD audio from Japan... so..... ^__^()

Big THANKS to Moussy the mighty instant beta!!! 

Note to readers: I changed my mind and I will not make the second part of 4th Piece [Ken]: Following Your Footsteps.... I think rewriting a part of the series would be pointless.... so I wrote this instead. I hope you all enjoy..... The time setting is right after Ken decided that he wanted to play football.... but since I don't wanna give anymore spoiler, please simply read the ficcie.... ^___^

**  
5th Piece: [Weiß] Many Meetings Part 1**

  
  
**[Hidaka Ken]**

  
"Can I make the phone call?"

The officer nodded, "Five minutes. Not more."

"I know."

The bald man left the small room to give the prisoner a fake sense of privacy. They always listen to any phone calls made by these detainees. After all they were all criminals; and it's always a save play to keep their contacts in check.

Ken watched the door until it closed. He looked back to the handset, it took him a lot of courage to make the simple call. Just say those words and he would be out of the jail. But it was not that easy. He had to find a job as soon as he got out. He didn't want to use the money he got from Weiß. He had to find a job sufficient enough for a simple life, a simple job to give him some spare time to play soccer. And to find such job was impossible when you didn't exist in the government. He needed to recover his legal identity.

Finally he picked up the handset and dialed a number. It was a personal line and there were only four people who knew it. One was a sleeping beauty, one was a canary in a cage, one was an eagle in the wild, and the last one was a tamed beast. _The first one was Youji-kun; sleeping for a hundred years like in fairy tale and when he woke up I hope he'd find a princess. The second was me; like a small bird that would die once its set free. The third was Aya, always be a loner in the band. And the last one was our former enemy Naoe Nagi._

The calling tone rang for a couple of times before someone picked it up.

"Ken-kun?" a familiar voice was heard from the other end, "Anything happened?"

Ken smiled a little when he heard that concerned tone. He was always afraid to contact Omi ever since he inherited the 'Persia' title from his uncle – father –, who ever. He kept a distance from the others as how it's always instructed. Persia never made straight contacts with his inferior.   
"No, nothing. It's just…." His voice fell.

"What is it?" Omi sounded even more worried. And then he heard a faint voice on the other end. It sounded like Rex. 

"Mamoru-sama, they are waiting for you at the meeting hall."

And then Omi was heard again, "Ah, Ken-kun, could you call me later. I have an important meeting now. Ah, wait, you cannot call so freely there. How about sending someone over? Sorry. I really have to go now. I'll contact you later." The phone was hung up.

_Sending someone over to me? That means I'm gonna meet that telekinetic.  
_

  
But nobody came until the next day when an officer came to his cell and told him that there's a visitor for him. Ken got up from his bed. There was not much to do when you're imprisoned. You can only see the sunlight in some free hours before lunch. Other than that you would either doing the daily chores or lying around in bed with nothing to be done.

Ken followed the officer. It surprised him that the officer didn't go to the "guest room" in which the prisoners could meet and talk with their visitors via hand set. That means this guest had some special authority. Could it be that Omi had come by himself? They finally came to an interrogation room.   
"Your lawyer is inside," the officer said, "I will leave you here alone."

That's a good idea because they usually didn't do the eavesdropping thing when you're with your lawyer. It's some kind of a code to the people who works in that field. And a lawyer is, however, one of the law people. 

Ken opened the door, but his hope failed him and instead of looking at an ash blond man, he was faced with a guy who had dark brown hair and expressionless eyes. He instructed Ken to sit before him. Ken gulped. He somehow felt like he was going to face a real interrogation.

"Bombay said he's sorry that he hung up yesterday. And he said he's sorry that he couldn't come by himself," Nagi opened the conversation, "He told me to come instead. Now just say what you wanted to say to him."

Ken looked at the other man. He couldn't let his voice out. If the person in front of him was Omi, he would have talked about anything, about the way of the people in the jail, about what he thought about everyday, and about how he came to his decision to get out of that prison. But it was Naoe Nagi before him, that cold expressionless person. It was very different. His last time seeing Nagi was in Koua several moths ago and they didn't talk. Surely he could claim that he knew the person quite well. But in many of their past encounters, there were no talks. And Nagi was not his opponent, so they never said anything to each other. 

"Spit it out, I have no time to baby-sit people like you."

Ken looked up. He didn't realize he was silent for so long. "Ah, sorry. Could you tell Omi that I need to get out of here? I have made my decision."

The man raised his eyebrows. "Finally, eh? And aside of taking you out from here, is there anything else you'd like him to do?"

"Ah, I need to recover my identity."

"Anything else? Setting up a job or find you a new home?"

n shook his head, "No, thank you. I've already been his burden for so long. I will do the rest with my own hands this time."

There was a hint of surprise in the eyes of the other man as Ken finished talking. 

"Is that all?"

"Yes. That's all."

The other man turned to the door and called for the guard. They opened the door and took Ken back to his cell. Just then Ken stopped and turned to Nagi. 

"Naoe-kun," he paused a while thinking it was appropriate call him that way, but he continued anyway, "Tell Omi-kun that I have made my decision that I want to play soccer. It's my whole life."

And then he was ushered away.

  
  
  
**[Rex]**  
  
Takatori Mamoru came out from the conference room and headed straight to his Limo. Rex was following him. It was like a routine as a personal secretary to follow her superior like that. 

"Mamoru-sama, you have nothing in your schedule tonight," she said as they both entered the car, "I think you have to go home and get some rest. Your wound has not fully healed yet."

Mamoru turned to face his secretary. "That's what I intend to do tonight. Shall I drop you first by your place?" He leaned forward to tell the driver to head first to Rex's apartment. And then he rested his back to the seat. 

Rex watched as her employer closed his eyes to have short nap during the way. She didn't know since when she started doing that, watching Mamoru-sama as he took short breaks on their way to anywhere. She knew that aside of taking care of the Takatori Enterprise he also had to maintain both Kritiker and the new Weiß. Everything seemed to be too much for a once small and fragile boy like him.

She remembered when she was first assigned to him by Saijou-sama. He was very polite and he smiled often. Lately those nice little gestures seemed to wither away from him, especially after his last mission on the field, after the Koua incident. He smiled less, and she often found him gazing away and day-dreaming. 

She didn't know which one was the real person inside that body. It could be that the innocent smiles were set to hide away his childhood wounds, or it could be the cold and detached personality. Either way, Rex knew well that there was a real Takatori Mamoru inside the young Persia. She knew well that his day dreaming face was not a mask, and she was somehow glad that she was one of the few persons who had the opportunity to know him that well.

She looked at Mamoru-sama until the car finally arrived at her place. 

"Good night, Mamoru-sama," she said as she got out of the car. 

Mamoru opened his eyes and gave her a vague smile. "Good night."

The woman watched the car went away until it was gone from her sight and then she went into her apartment.

  
  
  
**[Naoe Nagi]**  
  
The screen behind the driver's seat slid down. "How long are you going to pretend you're sleeping, Bombay," a cold sneer went out from the driver's lips. The man reached to the front mirror and lowered it so he could see the man at the back seat.

"I am not sleeping, Nagi-kun," the man frowned as he opened his eyes. He leaned forward, "So how was Ken-kun? What did he say?"

"He said that he needed to get his legal identity back."

Omi's eyes went wide. "Recovering his ID? But that means…." His voice lowered. There was a bit of disappointment in his face. Recovering his ID meant that Ken would leave him alone in Kritiker. He wanted that somehow one of his friends would stay and support him from within, and Ken was his last hope. He couldn't ask Youji due to Balinese's condition, and Aya was definitely impossible.

"When are you going to face it that no one is going to stay?" Nagi said, "I think you knew about it when you announced their last mission."

Omi drew out a sigh. "I know. Everybody has their own fight." He looked up again and smiled, "Fine then, I'll take care of his papers. I wonder if he wanted to keep his name or go by any other. No, Hidaka Ken cannot be replaced by any other name. I'll work it out tonight."

Nagi rolled his eyes to face the reflection in the mirror. "I say I will do that for you. You can get some sleep. You have tight schedule tomorrow." He added, "Plus I don't want to see you loitering around the net. Leave all the hacking job to me or I will bombard you with scripts until your whole system is torn apart."

The ash blond chuckled. "I dare you." He always liked it when Nagi threatened to load his computer with viruses. He liked the challenge of preventing them from disturbing the system while at the same time sending out some scripts to the assassin's computer. It was more fun that playing tennis.

"You better not, Mamoru-sama," said Nagi in a stern, cold voice, and Omi knew better than to argue. He had somehow let Nagi father him when he wanted to be back as the innocent child he used to be.

"Fine then," Omi said, "Please take care of Ken-kun."

The chauffeur nodded in agreement. The next moment he looked at the mirror, the man in the back seat was already fast asleep. "Fine then," he muttered, "I will take you straight to your room."

  
  
  
**[Hidaka Ken]**  
  
Two weeks after he made his phone call he finally walked out the big gate of the state prison. Nagi was the one who picked him up. They drove back to the city and finally arrived at an apartment building. 

"This is my place. You can stay here for a while," Nagi said as they arrived at a door on the fifth floor, "There's a spare room for you. I have changed the sheets and everything is in order. Your paper is in the drawer. What you want to do next is all up to you."

"Thank you," Ken muttered, "I'm thinking of going abroad, probably to England or Italy, but before that I want to see Youji first…."

"I'm sorry, but you cannot do that," Nagi said.

The words "I'm sorry" chimed in his head for a while. "Wait, he's not… dead, isn't he?" Ken burst out. He knew, when he last saw Youji a couple of months ago, his life was still hanging on a wire. Nobody knew whether the blond was going to live or not, but he then heard that the man had been improving. No way, he couldn't be dead.

"I wasn't saying that he's dead," muttered Nagi lazily, "I said you cannot see him that's all."

"But why?"

Nagi shrugged, "I'll show you tomorrow. But if you're thinking of anything stupid as in talking to him, you better not."

  
  
The next morning they set off again in Nagi's car. Ken kept on bombarding Nagi with endless questions concerning what had happened to Youji but the other one stayed quiet. The soccer fan was guessing that Nagi was going to take him to a hospital to see a crippled Youji, or even worse to a soul asylum and he would see Youji sitting silently and wrapped in a straight jacket. But it didn't happen; Nagi was driving him to a department store instead.

"I thought Youji is somewhere else," Ken voiced as they made their way up on the escalator. 

"Like in a straight jacket at the nearest lunatic house?" Nagi jeered, "No, you should have known better than that."

Ken followed the other man impatiently until they finally arrived at the male clothing area. He noticed a figure he knew just too well. But he was very different, instead of being the over confident lady killer Youji supposed to be, the lean man was somehow more shy and more polite. The man was standing at one corner, helping a lady to find a good tie to match a certain shirt. Ken had no doubt that Youji didn't find any trouble doing this. After all he was the only one who was appearance conscious from all four members of Weiß. 

"He remembers nothing about his past and he's now married," Nagi explained, "Persia ordered that no Weiß member is allowed to meet him. Of course, you are allowed to ask for his assistance in this shop." And Nagi continued under his breath as Ken walked closer towards that man, "But it's all at your own risk."

  
  
  
**[Kudou Youji]**  
  
"Thank you, Ma'am. Please come again soon," Youji bowed a little to the lady customer as she went away. He was going to walk back into his position when his view collided with someone. The man was standing not so far from him, eyeing him with the most curios eyes he'd ever seen. He was of average height for Japanese man with short dark brown hair and dark colored eyes. 

"Is there anything I can help with, Sir?" he asked towards the man.

The other one startled and seemed to hold every urge he had to speak, but finally he spoke, "Ah, anou, I like this shirt," he pointed to one hanging as an example, "Is there any other color?" His gesture somehow showed that he was lying. Youji knew that well from his instinct, but it didn't bother him.

"As in what color, Sir? Perhaps I can be of help."

"Blue, dark blue."

Youji nodded and then he escorted the man to one corner of his area and showed the whole collection of that design. "I think the blue one really suit you well," he suggested. It was his job as a shopkeeper to sell as much as possible. 

The other man only nodded. "I'll take the blue one," he said without any more delay.

Youji looked at him suspiciously. Some part of him felt as if he had seen that man, but he couldn't remember. There was something that bothered his mind as he tried to remember but all he had was a slight throb in his head. He shook the thought off. "What size are you?"

"L"

Youji nodded as he took one from the shelf and put it inside a shopping bag. As he handed the bag to Ken he couldn't hold the impulse of asking something. "You look familiar somehow. Have we met before?"

The other man looked startled. "N-no. I guess not." He shook his head as if he was covering something. The action somehow arisen something in the back of his memories, but he couldn't recall what. 

"Is that so? I really think you look familiar."

The man shook his head again. "You must have mistaken me with someone else." But then his face changed as if something dawned at him, "But you might have seen me somewhere. Perhaps in the magazine or something." The man rubbed his nose, again a very familiar gesture, and he continued, "I was in the J-league a few years ago. Soccer."

"Ah, is that so?" Youji nodded though he wasn't fully sure that he saw that man in a magazine. "What's your name? I think I will remember if you tell me."

"Hidaka Ken."

Funny that the name didn't surface anything in his mind. It laid hanging in the air. But somehow it meant nothing to him. 

The other man bowed a bit, "I guess I have to pay for this shirt now. Ja ne!" And he left.

Youji watched him until the man met another one, who also had dark brown hair, but had much less emotion written on his face. The cold faced man looked back at him as if he felt that someone was watching him. Youji forced a nod, but it seemed that the other one decided not to reply. He simply grabbed the other by his shoulder and turned away to the cashier.

  
~~TBC~~

Thank you to anyone who have reviewed this ficcie so far, namely Crimson-Eyed-Angel99, Jacques, Panda-chan, Kearoru, Sunao, Kasra, Fifi, Shadoewhunter, Koji-chan, and Moussy

Note to Shadoewhunter: This is where I start my plan to make Youji undomesticated... but that would be in a separated sequel and not in this After Tomorrow pieces. 

Spoiler for next chapie: Ken's gonna meet other members of Weiß.... One by one that is, but he's gonna be the thread that connects them all. Just wait.... and please pray that my brain and my fingers can work together this time.... I recently noticed that my plot changes are usually because my fingers refused to type what's in my head.... ^__^()

Now... anyone care to send me some reviews? I don't mind flames, I need to burn incense sticks to drive away stubborn flies from the kitchen. 


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